How to get every last drop out of a vial

[ultima thule]

Today I wrapped up a Reta vial. It contained precisely 0.1ml of liquid. My issue: I wasn't able to pull the full amount, and in the end the syringe only captured 0.08ml. Initially I figured that was simply the remainder, since some is lost each time earlier doses are drawn, but I could see a few drops still sitting in the vial that the syringe couldn't get to. Does anyone have a reliable trick for extracting all the remaining liquid from a vial that's almost empty?

 

[RicFlair]

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

 

[ultima thule]

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

 

[RicFlair]

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

 

[skaylife]

Draw an amount of air into the syringe that matches the volume of your solution. After that, flip the vial so it is upside down. Insert the needle into the vial up to the point where it sits in the air pocket above the liquid, and inject that air into that space. With the plunger still held down, draw the needle all the way back to the bottom. Now let go of the plunger. The pressure from the air inside will force every bit of the solution into your syringe.

 

[ultima thule]

RicFlair said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

True, but in the end, that final dose—even if it's short by a few drops—remains smaller than every earlier dose drawn from that same vial.

 

[Gt3294a]

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

True, but in the end, that final dose—even if it's short by a few drops—remains smaller than every earlier dose drawn from that same vial.

If losing those few cents really bothers you, and you'd rather not borrow a bit from the vial you'll use next, just add another .2 ml of BAC. That way you'll pull out 95 percent of whatever is left behind.

 

[miameow]

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

^ doing this means nearly all of it can be retrieved from the vial.

RicFlair said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

When powder is measured in mg amounts, the quantity is so tiny that if you add extra to hit the concentration you want, you frequently overshoot. Filler makes up most of what's in the vial. Only a very small portion is the active ingredient.

Picture yourself in a lab, measuring the components, seeing that it's a bit low, and you put in a small additional amount, but now it's too high. Leaving it as is beats attempting to remove some to hit the target weight exactly (which won't ever be achievable regardless).

 

[ultima thule]

Gt3294a said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

True, but in the end, that final dose—even if it's short by a few drops—remains smaller than every earlier dose drawn from that same vial.

If losing those few cents really bothers you, and you'd rather not borrow a bit from the vial you'll use next, just add another .2 ml of BAC. That way you'll pull out 95 percent of whatever is left behind.

It's not a matter of pennies, mate—it's about hitting the exact dose. I'd already mixed another vial the previous day, so pulling the missing amount from that fresh one leaves me in exactly the same situation. If I'd known ahead of time that I wouldn't be able to draw the vial completely dry, I'd have gone with your approach....

Just a thought... if the same thing happens again, I'll crack the vial open next time

 

[Grogu]

That's exactly what @RicFlair said. While keeping the vial inverted, you need to draw the needle back until it reaches the stopper's very end. The needle should only be inserted into the vial by the tiniest amount. When you're in that spot, you'll probably pull in a lot of air, but that doesn't matter—once everything has been drawn out, simply push the air back out.

 

[woundcarping]

ultima thule said:

Gt3294a said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

True, but in the end, that final dose—even if it's short by a few drops—remains smaller than every earlier dose drawn from that same vial.

If losing those few cents really bothers you, and you'd rather not borrow a bit from the vial you'll use next, just add another .2 ml of BAC. That way you'll pull out 95 percent of whatever is left behind.

It's not a matter of pennies, mate—it's about hitting the exact dose. I'd already mixed another vial the previous day, so pulling the missing amount from that fresh one leaves me in exactly the same situation. If I'd known ahead of time that I wouldn't be able to draw the vial completely dry, I'd have gone with your approach....

Just a thought... if the same thing happens again, I'll crack the vial open next time

If a vial only has part of a dose left, I'll use that first and then top off the rest from a fresh vial. Being precise on purpose matters a lot to me. As for how much liquid each vial actually holds, that's not on my radar — it's outside my control, and there's no real way to check it vial by vial.

Since that uncertainty exists in every single vial, a .02ml difference doesn't bother me…. If the old vial only gave me .08ml, I'd throw out the syringe and the vial, then draw the whole dose from the new one.

Some folks pop the cap off and go to great lengths to suck out every last bit. That's more effort than it's worth in my view, though I'll admit I've got plenty of peptides on hand.

What's left in a thrown-away vial usually looks like this. I just can't bring myself to worry about it.

 

[ultima thule]

Grogu said:

That's exactly what @RicFlair said. While keeping the vial inverted, you need to draw the needle back until it reaches the stopper's very end. The needle should only be inserted into the vial by the tiniest amount. When you're in that spot, you'll probably pull in a lot of air, but that doesn't matter—once everything has been drawn out, simply push the air back out.

Next time I'll test that approach. Thinking about it, it does add up. My needles are short, yet even so the opening might sit a touch higher than what's left... I was doing this at dawn and hadn't planned for it, so I didn't try every possible position

 

[on2jinm]

Gt3294a said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

True, but in the end, that final dose—even if it's short by a few drops—remains smaller than every earlier dose drawn from that same vial.

If losing those few cents really bothers you, and you'd rather not borrow a bit from the vial you'll use next, just add another .2 ml of BAC. That way you'll pull out 95 percent of whatever is left behind.

That's exactly how to do it.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

What about switching to a needle that's longer? With the 1.5" one I rely on for reconstituting and filtering, nothing gets left behind.

Same as you @ultima thule - the money isn't the issue for me, it's that I'm forever 1/2 step behind, which means reconstituting and filtering at 5am.

 

[woundcarping]

HereKittyKitty said:

What about switching to a needle that's longer? With the 1.5" one I rely on for reconstituting and filtering, nothing gets left behind.

Same as you @ultima thule - the money isn't the issue for me, it's that I'm forever 1/2 step behind, which means reconstituting and filtering at 5am.

A devil's advocate viewpoint: start a new vial before you reach your final dose, so you can skip the early-morning annoyance.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Devil is likely correct.

 

[ultima thule]

HereKittyKitty said:

What about switching to a needle that's longer? With the 1.5" one I rely on for reconstituting and filtering, nothing gets left behind.

Same as you @ultima thule - the money isn't the issue for me, it's that I'm forever 1/2 step behind, which means reconstituting and filtering at 5am.

woundcarping said:

HereKittyKitty said:

What about switching to a needle that's longer? With the 1.5" one I rely on for reconstituting and filtering, nothing gets left behind.

Same as you @ultima thule - the money isn't the issue for me, it's that I'm forever 1/2 step behind, which means reconstituting and filtering at 5am.

A devil's advocate viewpoint: start a new vial before you reach your final dose, so you can skip the early-morning annoyance.

As I mentioned earlier, folks, a different vial that had been mixed the previous day was sitting ready. That's because I still had 0.1ml remaining in the first vial, and my target was 0.2ml. I figured I had everything under control, yet early in the morning there's always some unexpected twist

 

[krsct]

I remove the cap from the vial, then take a syringe slim enough to fit through the opening and fitted with a needle that can extend all the way down to the vial's base.

 

[BNLFL]

woundcarping said:

ultima thule said:

Gt3294a said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

ultima thule said:

RicFlair said:

Not sure if this is already your approach, but when a vial is down to its final dose, I pull the needle back so it's only just through the rubber stopper and inside the vial, not pushed in any further, and I hold the vial inverted so the liquid collects where the needle tip is. That way I can usually pull out nearly all of it — at worst, maybe 1 drop stays behind, which isn't anything meaningful.

I did precisely that. I kept moving the syringe plunger back and forth multiple times, yet at the end it still wouldn't work... I considered cracking the vial open and pulling the liquid straight out, but the morning rush left me with no chance to do it...

Thinking about it more, could this explain why nearly every peptide COA I come across tends to be filled above the stated amount, even if only by a little?

True, but in the end, that final dose—even if it's short by a few drops—remains smaller than every earlier dose drawn from that same vial.

If losing those few cents really bothers you, and you'd rather not borrow a bit from the vial you'll use next, just add another .2 ml of BAC. That way you'll pull out 95 percent of whatever is left behind.

It's not a matter of pennies, mate—it's about hitting the exact dose. I'd already mixed another vial the previous day, so pulling the missing amount from that fresh one leaves me in exactly the same situation. If I'd known ahead of time that I wouldn't be able to draw the vial completely dry, I'd have gone with your approach....

Just a thought... if the same thing happens again, I'll crack the vial open next time

If a vial only has part of a dose left, I'll use that first and then top off the rest from a fresh vial. Being precise on purpose matters a lot to me. As for how much liquid each vial actually holds, that's not on my radar — it's outside my control, and there's no real way to check it vial by vial.

Since that uncertainty exists in every single vial, a .02ml difference doesn't bother me…. If the old vial only gave me .08ml, I'd throw out the syringe and the vial, then draw the whole dose from the new one.

Some folks pop the cap off and go to great lengths to suck out every last bit. That's more effort than it's worth in my view, though I'll admit I've got plenty of peptides on hand.

What's left in a thrown-away vial usually looks like this. I just can't bring myself to worry about it.





View attachment 11590

Same here.

woundcarping said:

HereKittyKitty said:

What about switching to a needle that's longer? With the 1.5" one I rely on for reconstituting and filtering, nothing gets left behind.

Same as you @ultima thule - the money isn't the issue for me, it's that I'm forever 1/2 step behind, which means reconstituting and filtering at 5am.

A devil's advocate viewpoint: start a new vial before you reach your final dose, so you can skip the early-morning annoyance.

When I'm nearing the final dose, I make sure another one has already been mixed a few days earlier. By keeping track of the estimated number of doses from the recon calculation, I can tell when the end is near.

 

[sheilarae74]

Once that vial is finished, I simply pop the cap off, even though that can be a real pain in the neck at times.